Very short luminescent decay-time phosphor

ABSTRACT

A short-decay-time ultraviolet-emitting phosphor consisting essentially of yttrium aluminum oxide activated by cerium. The phosphor may be described by the molecular formula YA103:Ce. The disclosure includes a cathode-ray tube having a viewing screen structure comprised of the new phosphor.

United States Patent Martin Robert Royce;

Joseph Stanley Martin, Jr., both of Lancaster, Pa.

Oct. 31, 1969 Nov. 30, 1971 RCA Corporation lnventors Appl. No. Filed Patented" Assignee VERY SHORT LUMlNESCENT DECAY-TIME PHOSPHOR 5 Claims, 2 Drawing Figs.

U.S. Cl 252/3014 R Int. Cl C09r [/68,

H0 1 j 29/20 Field olSearch 252/30l.4

References Cited OTHER REFERENCES Blasse et al.- A New Phosphor For Flying-Spot Cathode- Ray Tubes for Color Television: Yellow-Emitting Y.-,Al O Ce +Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 1 I, No. 2, 15 July I967,

pages 53-54.

Blasse et al.-lnvestigation of Some Ce Activated Phosphors-JournalofChemical Physics, Vol. 47 No. l2, 12 December I967, pages 5 I 39-5 145 Primary ExaminerRobert D. Edmonds Allorney-Glenn H. Bruestle VERY SHORT LUMINESCENT DECAY-TIME PHOSPHOR BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a new luminescent material or phosphor which, when excited by cathode rays, emits ultraviolet radiation in the spectral region of about 3,700 A.U. (Angstrom Units) and has a very short luminescence decay time after the exciting cathode rays are removed. The invention includes a cathode-ray tube having a luminescent viewing screen structure comprised of the new phosphor.

Cerium-activated phosphors are known in the phosphor art. Cerium-activated lanthanum phosphate, which is described by the formula LaPO zCe, and cerium-lithium-activated calcium magnesium silicate, described by the formula Ca MgSi O :Ce:Li, are ultraviolet light emitters and exhibit a very shortdecay-time after removal of excitation. Cerium-activated yttrogamet, described by the fon'nula Y Al (A :Ce, and cerium-activated yttroalumite, described by the formula Y Al OBl2:Ce, also exhibit a very short decay time but 11:20

minesce in the visible spectrum.

A short-decay-time ultraviolet-emitting phosphor can be used in cathode-ray tubes used as flying spot scanners to produce an output signal. Such phosphors can also be used to produce the indexing signal in the viewing screen structure of indexing-type multicolor kinescopes; for example, in the tubes described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,27 l ,610 to Harold B. Law. In practice, the prior art short-decay-time phosphors are not ideal for producing an indexing signal since they leave residual images remaining on the viewing screen. These residual images reduce the final resolution of the viewed image output. The very short-decay-time of these prior art phosphors is not sufficiently short to completely decay the viewed image within nonperceptible limits at the scanning frequency necessary for a practical cathode-ray-tube application.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The new ultraviolet-emitting phosphor consists essentially of yttrium aluminum oxide activated by cerium, and may be described by the molecular formula YAlo zCe.

The new phosphor has a different chemical composition than yttroalumite and yttrogamet. lt emits ultraviolet radiation which peaks at approximately 3,700 A.U. when excited by cathode rays. It also exhibits a shorter decay time after removal of the excitation than prior art phosphors. This new phosphor also has a higher ultraviolet efficiency than prior art ultraviolet-emitting cerium-activated phosphors, such for example as cerium-activated lanthanum phosphate.

The invention includes an improved cathode-ray tube having a viewing screen structure comprised of the new phosphor, which may be, for example, a flying spot scanner or an indexing type multicolor kinescope. When an indexing-type tube is operated at the same scanning frequency as previously used, a viewer does not perceive on the viewing screen of the improved tube any residual images resulting from the decay characteristics of the ultraviolet-emitting phosphor. The improved tube also exhibits a higher resolution image output, than tubes using some prior art phosphors. This results, at least, in part because of the shorter decay time of the new phosphor; whereby each image decays to nonperceptible limits prior to the formation of the succeeding image.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a broken-away side view of an improved cathoderay tube which includes a viewing screen structure comprising the phosphor of this invention.

FIG. 2 is a graph including curves illustrating a portion of the luminescence decay of the phosphor of the invention and of some prior art phosphors.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The tube illustrated in FIG. I comprises a glass envelope 21 having a faceplate 22. On the inner surface of the faceplate 22 is a viewing screen 23 comprising the phosphor of the invention. At the opposite end of the tube is an electron gun 24 which projects an electron beam 25 to strike the screen 23. The luminescence of the phosphor can be conducted through the faceplate 22 as in the flyingspot scanner, or can be conducted toward the electron gun 24 as in a sensing type kinescope.

The new phosphor may be described by the formula YAl0 zCe and consists essentially of yttrium aluminum oxide with cerium included as an activator. The new phosphor may be prepared by a preferred procedure given in example 1 with the alternate procedure given in example 2.

EXAMPLE I phosphor ,has approximately the molecular formula YA1O :0.005Ce.

EXAMPLE 2 Heat about 800 milliliters of demineralized water to 50 C. and while stirring add 17.55 grams of anhydrous aluminum nitrate. A special dehydrated grade of aluminum nitrate designated RCA No. 33A6l5 is preferred. A small amount of dilute nitric acid may be added to promote solubility of the aluminum nitrate. After the aluminum nitrate has completely dissolved, stir in 10.153 grams of yttrium oxide followed by dropwise addition of a stoichiometric amount of dilute nitric acid to convert the yttrium oxide to yttrium nitrate. After a complete yttrium and aluminum nitrate solution is obtained, filter to remove insoluble material which may be present. Then, add 0.065 grams of hexahydrate Ce(NO;,) -6I-I O. When the solution is colorless and clear, heat it to C. and stir in an excess amount (approximately 800 ml.) of dilute (about 29 weight percent) ammonium hydroxide. Continue heating and stirring for one hour. Successively centrifuge and wash the white precipitate with demineralized water until it is free from ammonia odor and/or the wash liquors achieve a pH of 7. Wash the precipitate 2 times in acetone and air dry for 12 to 15 hours. Break up the dry precipitate in a mortar and pestle, sieve, and thoroughly mix the powder. Heat the powder in an open silica crucible from 600 C. to l,300 C. for approximately a 3 to 4 hour rise time, and hold at l,300 C. for l to 4 hours. Cool, mildly grind, and sieve the product. The cooled material is the phosphor of the invention. This phosphor has approximately the molecular formula YAlO :0.005Ce.

The low-level decay characteristics of samples of the new phosphor YAlO -,:Ce are illustrated by the curves 26 and 27 of FIG. 2. The curve 26 illustrates a new phosphor prepared by the process of example I, and the curve 27 illustrates a new phosphor prepared by the process of example 2. The curves were obtained by measuring the luminescence emission decay from a sample excited by cathode rays. The curves describe the luminescence decay after the emission has decayed to 30 percent since interest exists in the maximum (shortest) decay time. A similar curve 28 is shown for a LaPO,:Ce phosphor and a curve 29 for a Ca MgSi O :Ce:Li phosphor for purposes of comparison. The curves shown in FIG. 2 all originate at zero time (not shown) and are normalized at percent brightness to LaPO.,:Ce which is used as a brightness standard. It is observed that the curves 28 and 29 for the prior art phosphors, while considered to have very short decay time by ordinary standards, exhibit longer and higher persistences and, therefore, require a longer time to decay than the curves 26 and 27 for the new phosphor of the invention.

As used in this specification, a very short decay-time phosphor means that the time to decay to percent of initial brightness is less than one microsecond. The new phosphor shown in curves 26 and 27 is seen to decay to less than 1 percent of initial brightness in a shorter time than the prior art phosphors shown in curves 28 and 29 and continues to decay at a faster rate. Substituting the new phosphor for a prior art phosphor in an indexing type multicolor kinescope reduces the residual images on the viewing screen, permits higher scanning rates, and results in a higher resolution image output.

The table compares the decay characteristics and ultraviolet efi'iciency of prior an phosphors with the new phosphor. The ultraviolet efficiency is measured through a combination of a No. 7-60 filter and a NiCl filter. The ultraviolet efiiciency of the screen of the new phosphor is higher than that of LaPO which is used as an ultraviolet-emitting standard.

The phosphor of the invention uses cerium as an activator as do many prior art phosphors. Useful ultraviolet-emitting properties are obtained where the cerium range is 0.0005 to 0.5 mole cerium per mole of the host material. The preferred range is about 0.005 to 0.10 mole cerium per mole yttrium aluminum oxide.

The crystal structure of the new phosphor, determined by X-ray diffraction techniques and comparison with the ASTM card index, is believed to be a perovskite type. Yttrium can be chemically combined with aluminum oxide in various stoichiometric proportions. The phosphor of this invention is believed to exhibit a 1:1 correspondence of yttrium oxide with aluminum oxide while yttrogamet is believed to have a 3:5 correspondence. For example, Y O -Al,O;,=2YAlO has one mole yttrium oxide to one mole aluminum oxide.

Synthesis 1 Ultraviolet eificiency measured through a combination of a No. 7430 filter and a NiCl; filter.

1 Example 1.

3 Example 2.

We claim:

1. An ultraviolet-emitting luminescence material consisting essentially of yttrium aluminum oxide activated by cerium the atomic ratio of yttrium to aluminum being substantially l: I

2. A composition according to claim 1 consisting essentially of a chemical correspondence of equimolar proportions of yttrium oxide and aluminum oxide.

3. A composition according to claim 1 wherein said cerium content is 0.0005 to 0.5 mole per mole yttrium aluminum oxide.

4. A luminescence material according to claim 1 having the molecular composition YAlO zCe wherein x is in the range of 0.0005 to 0.5 mole.

5. A luminescent material according to claim 1 having the molecular composition YA10;,:0.005Ce.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION patent 3,623,994 Dated November 30, 1971 Inventor(s) Martln Royce et 31 It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

Column 1, line 20 Change "Y Al OBl2:Ce" to --Y Al O :Ce--

Column 4, line 5 After "Ca MgSi O add Column 4, line 21 After "cerium" add Column 4, line 30 Change YAlO :Ce" to --YA lO :xCe-

Signed and sealed this 13th day of June 1972.

(SEAL) Attest:

EDWARD M.FLETCHER,JR. ROBERT GOTTSCHALK Attesting Officer Commissioner of Patents M Po-1050 (10-69) UsCOMM-DC 60376-P69 9 ll 5. GOVERNMENT VRINTING OFFICE: Ill! O-llC-SSI 

2. A composition according to claim 1 consisting essentially of a chemical correspondence of equimolar proportions of yttrium oxide and aluminum oxide.
 3. A composition according to claim 1 wherein said cerium content is 0.0005 to 0.5 mole per mole yttrium aluminum oxide.
 4. A lumiNescence material according to claim 1 having the molecular composition YA1O3:Ce wherein x is in the range of 0.0005 to 0.5 mole.
 5. A luminescent material according to claim 1 having the molecular composition YA1O3:0.005Ce. 